New Construction Market

Paced by continued demand for projects such as new education and health care facilities, public safety, and government buildings, the Architecture Billings Index (ABI) increased in June following fluctuations earlier this year.

The global HVAC equipment market is positioned for another year of above-average growth, with the fundamentals in place for the United States that are the best in over 10 years, according to a report from Chisult Insight Co. Ltd.

Building optimization and commissioning services — quality assurance measures that can help meet operational and energy efficiency goals — are expanding with the growing emphasis on efficiency, states Navigant Research.

The International Code Council (ICC) and ASHRAE have signed an agreement on development and maintenance of a new version of the International Green Construction Code (IgCC) sponsored by the American Institute of Architects (AIA), ASHRAE, ICC, Illuminating Engineering Society (IES), and U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC).

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has announced nearly $6 million in funding to accelerate energy efficiency in offices, schools, stores, and other buildings to help businesses and communities save money, create jobs, and reduce pollution.

After its first negative score in 10 months, the Architecture Billings Index (ABI) showed a nominal increase in design activity in February, and has been positive 10 out of the past 12 months. A leading economic indicator of construction activity, the February ABI score was 50.4, up slightly from a mark of 49.9 in January.

The United States construction industry added 39,000 jobs in January, including 12,700 net new nonresidential jobs, according to a new preliminary estimate released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

Construction spending rose in December 2014 to a six-year high of $982 billion as public construction for the year increased for the first time since 2009, according to an analysis of construction data by the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC).